Liang Xiang's stock market fluctuates repeatedly, but some young people's "frugal tendency" continues, and this time they have set their sights on hanging noodles. Compared to spending 5 yuan on a cup of instant noodles, a 500-gram pack of hanging noodles at 7 yuan can be eaten for several meals, making it cheaper and more practical. Hanging noodles are the most unpretentious staple in Chinese cuisine. They used to be the companion of middle-aged and elderly people saving for a living, but now they are the reliance of young people pinching pennies. Besides being cheap, it is also related to the fact that in recent years, hanging noodles have begun to wear fashionable coats such as "zero-fat" and "health-conscious," matching the "poor but happy" feeling of young people who want to extract value even from a bowl of plain noodles. Why Young People Are Falling for Hanging Noodles Luo Quan, 35, is a typical sandwich generation member supporting both elderly parents and young children. In an age and industry where a pay raise is hopeless, he knows saving money won't make him rich, but he has no other choice. He is a noodle enthusiast; previously, his home would rotate bulk purchases of hot dry noodles, hot and sour noodles, Hong Kong's Demae Itcho, Thai MAMA instant noodles, and various other noodles including Baixiang's Old Hen Soup Noodles and Master Kong's Sichuan Pepper Beef Instant Noodles. But since the nightmare of turning 35 struck a few years ago, he has switched to hanging noodles for several years. Even when the stock market improved, he still joked that he had "become accustomed to poverty." The primary reason for switching to hanging noodles is simply an "economic account." He opened his e-commerce orders and casually calculated the costs to see which was more cost-effective.
Caijilin hot dry noodles, 10 servings, 42.12 yuan, 4.2 yuan per pack;
Maluoji hot and sour noodles, 2 servings, 21.42 yuan, 10.71 yuan per serving;
Hong Kong Demae Itcho, 5 packs, 20.7 yuan, 4.14 yuan per pack;
Thai MAMA instant noodles, 5 packs, 11.8 yuan per pack;
Baixiang Old Hen Soup Noodles, 10 bags, 34 yuan, 2.36 yuan per pack;
Master Kong Sichuan Pepper Beef Instant Noodles, 20 bags, 59.9 yuan, 2.995 yuan per pack. It is clear that bagged instant noodles are relatively cost-effective, but it also depends on whether e-commerce platforms offer discounts. Moreover, instant noodles have been rising in price recently, especially cup noodles, many from 4.5 yuan per cup to 5 yuan per cup, and many people find them expensive. If you want to eat more popular overseas or specialty items like hot and sour noodles or hot dry noodles, the cost is higher. In comparison, hanging noodles are much cheaper. In the market, plain hanging noodles cost 7 yuan. Luo Quan can generally eat at least 5 meals or more, with a cost of only 1.4 yuan per meal. Even if you add an egg to make "egg hanging noodles," the retail price on Taobao is only 27 yuan for 5 packs, averaging 5.4 yuan per pack, and 5.4 yuan can be eaten for several meals. Luo Quan said, "Although it's just a few yuan of living expenses, the emotional satisfaction from saving one or two yuan is greater." Image | Hanging noodles are about emotion Data from industry research institutions shows that in China's current hanging noodle price system, noodles under 5 yuan account for 60%, 5-8 yuan account for 30%, and above 8 yuan account for 10%. In this day and age, there are still foods under 10 yuan, which can be said to be the best "meal companion" for workers. In the past, hanging noodles were perceived as mainly eaten by middle-aged and elderly people, with a relatively simple "visual effect." Now some young people are starting to eat them, and although they have the motivation to save money, they don't want to appear "too shabby." On Xiaohongshu, under the tag "divine ways to eat hanging noodles," there are over 10,000 introduction posts. From "a clear soup noodle that costs 1.2 yuan but smells amazing" and "extremely delicious spicy mixed noodles" to "9 breakfast noodle recipes" including "roasted hanging noodles that workers can quickly make," young people's handmade hanging noodles focus on being complete in color, aroma, and taste, practicing the spirit that "the most basic ingredients can make the most advanced flavor." Image | Young people's roasted hanging noodles Finally, it becomes a roll wrapped with vegetables and ham, from Xiaohongshu These posts have high traffic, with 230,000 likes and 150,000 favorites. It can be said that young people's love for hanging noodles is not unfounded. Of course, some young people also reflect that they prefer fresh-cut noodles over hanging noodles. Fresh-cut noodles are not hanging noodles; they have higher moisture content and are considered to taste better than hanging noodles. Hanging noodles are made by drying wet noodles on bamboo poles. On e-commerce platforms, the best-selling fresh-cut noodles are priced at 12.9 yuan for 2 packs, which is 6.45 yuan per pack, a bit higher in cost, but there are also relatively cheaper ones. "Making Big from Noodles" Although hanging noodles are unremarkable and give a sense of cheapness, capable people can still achieve "financial freedom" from a small industry. In 1972, 11-year-old Wei Haijin from Xingtai, Hebei, began selling noodles by pushing a wheelbarrow through the streets. Later, he pooled money to buy a second-hand hanging noodle machine and contracted the village's first flour mill. At the age of 35, Wei Haijin established Shahe City Noodle Industry, which is now Jinshahe, ranking first in the hanging noodle market with a 22% market share. Its sales revenue including hanging noodles and flour business reached 16.7 billion yuan in 2023. It is said that he produces 5,000 tons of hanging noodles daily and is known as the "King of Hanging Noodles." Ranking second with an 8% market share is Chen Keming. In 1984, Chen Keming, born in Nan County, Hunan, started his entrepreneurial journey in hanging noodles with a hand-cranked noodle machine and a small cart. In 2012, Kemei Food was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, becoming the "first stock of Chinese hanging noodles." Before the National Day, Kemei Food's market value was 3.2 billion yuan. In the first half of this year, Kemei's noodle revenue was 1.311 billion yuan, accounting for just over half of the company's business revenue, with the other half coming from pig farming. Image | Chen Keming's classic packaging has almost become a collective memory for a generation Ranked third in the market is Xiangnian Food from Henan. It is said that its hanging noodle production accounts for 4% of the national total. In 1998, Sun Jungeng, a 27-year-old intellectual from Nanyang, Henan, contracted a Henan flour mill. In 2000, he earned 300,000 yuan by selling the early internet-famous "Millennium Noodles," and the noodle factory on the verge of bankruptcy began to get on track. Subsequently, Sun Jungeng and his wife Xiong Xuhong established Henan Xiangnian Food, making their brand of hanging noodles go nationwide. Looking at the entry times of the founders of the three major hanging noodle brands, Kemei Noodle and Xiangnian Food were established in 1997 and 1998 respectively, while Jinshahe was formally established as a group in 2019, but its rapid development began in 2003. The timing of the three major brands entering the industry was: in the late 1990s, the hanging noodle industry was transforming from traditional handicraft to mechanized production, and the reform of the grain circulation system also created a consumer market for hanging noodles. In modern terms, these three brands can be said to have seized the "windfall." Of course, the story of the food manufacturing industry is not as sexy as the various internet and technology trends that came later. In the eyes of the post-80s and post-90s generations, middle-aged and elderly people are their consumer group. Without the support of young people, the future potential of the industry is weak. But the situation is forcing the industry to change. In the hanging noodle industry, there are two conclusions. First, from 2009 to 2019, China's hanging noodle production increased by 176% in 10 years. Second, from 2012 to 2022, China's hanging noodle sales scale has been lower than production scale for 10 consecutive years. According to industry insiders, the traditional main consumers of hanging noodles, mainly middle-aged and elderly people, are decreasing, which requires expanding emerging groups, such as young people, and this has become one of the directions for enterprises to focus on. In recent years, including these three major brands, the hanging noodle industry has, in view of the situation, launched transformations such as "nutritional, health-conscious, and youthful." For example, in terms of products, Jinshahe hanging noodles have stated in external publicity that they "adopt low-temperature drying technology to reduce fat content. Added natural ingredients such as vegetable juice and coarse grains to promote balanced nutrition." Chen Keming has launched black rye and buckwheat low-fat hanging noodles, featuring a raw material mix of 70% black rye and 30% buckwheat. Xiangnian has launched nutritious multi-grain hanging noodles, claiming to add 7 ingredients and 21 raw materials. These keywords such as low-fat and grains are exactly what young people want. Image | Hanging noodles featuring zero fat are very appealing to young people Beyond products, to get closer to young people in marketing, Chen Keming has twice signed Liu Tao, who is popular among middle-aged and young people, as brand spokesperson. On October 17 last year, Chen Keming, the "King of Hanging Noodles," at the so-called "advanced age" of 72, started live streaming on Douyin to become an internet celebrity, but what he wanted to promote was not only hanging noodles but also his new "healthy rice" series. Image | Chen Keming live streaming In addition to these three major brands, other brands are also following suit. Baixiang has launched yam nutritious hanging noodles, highlighting healthy ingredients. There are also brands that have launched hanging noodles with "low salt, whole wheat flour, zero additives." Some young people may not know that hanging noodles already contain a fixed amount of salt during the production process, so if you add salt again during subsequent cooking, it is easy to exceed the limit. That's why some brands emphasize "low salt." It can be seen that enterprises are moving closer to the expectations of young people, which, together with young people's current love for convenient and affordable hanging noodles, can be considered a two-way effort, and it also forms the future development direction of the hanging noodle industry. However, this path will definitely not be smooth. Nowadays, emerging products such as river snail rice noodles, hot and sour noodles, and even pre-made dishes are competing with hanging noodles for young people's business. It is worth noting that in the industry's view, the hanging noodle industry has developed relatively maturely. Some industry research points out that in 2020, the production of the top five enterprises in the hanging noodle industry accounted for 32.2% of the total industry output, and by 2021 it had reached 41%. This means that the actions of leading players can easily drive the overall quality improvement of the industry. Hanging Noodles Have Unexpected Extended Value Don't think that hanging noodles are just a simple "food item." They include multiple values such as intangible cultural heritage, cultural tourism, and even the export of Chinese specialty products, which are increasingly being developed. In Zhongjiang County, Deyang, Sichuan, the hanging noodles produced here can be traced back to the Song Dynasty, and in the Ming Dynasty they became "imperial noodles" offered to the emperor. In 2007, "Zhongjiang handmade hanging noodle production technology" entered the first batch of Sichuan Province's intangible cultural heritage protection list, and in 2011 it became a "geographical indication product." It is said that Zhongjiang hanging noodles can sell 500,000 kilograms a year. During this National Day, the Zhongjiang Hanging Noodle Village opened for trial operation. This is a standard cultural tourism project where tourists can experience the long-standing hanging noodle culture in the village, try hand-making hanging noodles, participate in the hanging noodle banquet for ten thousand people, and also experience rural life tours. Residents living in the hanging noodle village have also become wealthy from hanging noodles. It is said that the average balcony area of each new house is as high as 40 square meters. Image | Zhongjiang Hanging Noodle Village Similarly, in Yanting County, Mianyang, Sichuan, Yanting hanging noodles are also a local intangible cultural heritage and are also called "Red Army noodles" because of revolutionary history. There are some Yanting intangible cultural heritage workshops here that combine the charm of intangible cultural heritage with public experience. Intangible cultural heritage hanging noodles are not only fragrant within the wall, but in recent years they have also been exported overseas as representatives of Chinese specialty products. Around the world, influenced by Chinese overseas students, Chinese hanging noodle culture has been brought to local areas. For example, Zhongjiang hanging noodles began direct export to the United States in 2021. At the end of that year, they successfully opened the Japanese market. In East Asia, influenced by the origin of Chinese hanging noodle culture, Japan and South Korea also eat hanging noodles, forming an East Asian hanging noodle circle. However, the local hanging noodles in both places are strong and have high market barriers. In Japan, there are five major historical somen noodle brands (similar to hanging noodles): Miwa somen, Banshu somen, Shodoshima somen, Shimabara somen, and Handa somen. The somen market size is estimated at 130 billion yen in 2023, equivalent to 6.3 billion yuan. Japanese people often give beautifully packaged somen as gifts at the end of the year, celebrations, and gift-giving occasions, believing that thin, long somen symbolizes "longevity" and that white symbolizes purity. In addition to daily consumption, due to the strong gift feel, there is a trend toward higher-end products, such as putting dry noodles in exquisite wooden gift boxes with a bottle of sauce, and the price is not cheap, some as high as about 10,000 yen (equivalent to 486 yuan). Image | Japanese hanging noodles have become high-priced gifts In South Korea, there are also Korean-style hanging noodles. In the Korean fan circle, well-known hanging noodle brands include Nongshim and Samyang. However, compared with hanging noodles, influenced by Korean TV dramas, Korean instant noodles seem to be more popular in the market. In 2023, exports of Korean instant noodles, including the well-known Shin Ramyun, reached a record high of 952 million US dollars. In the first eight months of this year, Korean instant noodle exports have already reached 800 million US dollars. China is the largest export market for Korean instant noodles. In Japan and South Korea, there is also the problem of hanging noodle manufacturers hoping to attract more young people. In Japan, brands are marketing to young people with the psychological points of "delicious, healthy, and convenient," and the most distinctive method is to promote various "somen recipes" through social media, creating a "new somen culture" through nutritional pairing and visual and taste experiences to attract young people. Image | New somen recipes for young people launched in Japan In 1984, Chen Peisi brought the sketch "Eating Noodles" to the Spring Festival Gala stage, and with his superb performance, he made eating noodles a happy thing. In 2024, young people eat hanging noodles with a pinch of garlic leaves and a spoonful of lard, which is the most basic meal. As long as you add a little "color," even if you are poor, happiness should be doubled, right?